Scientists are studying if MDMA, ingredient in Ecstasy, can treat social anxiety in adults with autism

By RACHELLE BLIDNER

|NEW YORK DAILY NEWS|

May 26, 2015 | 1:45 PM

Scientists are testing whether MDMA, the active ingredient in Ecstasy, can help treat social anxiety in adults with autism.

Scientists are testing whether MDMA, the active ingredient in Ecstasy, may help treat social anxiety in adults with autism.

Los Angeles researchers want to see if MDMA, a "heart-opening" drug, reduces the fear of interacting with people in the first study to look at MDMA and autistic people, co-investigator Alicia Danforth said.

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MDMA has been shown to boost confidence, heighten bonding and increase understanding of social cues, all qualities that could ease social anxiety, researchers said.

Scientists are not trying to "cure" autism but instead find data about MDMA's effect on social anxiety, she said.

"That's really hard for people to wrap their minds around. It's not another quack treatment for autism," Danforth said.

The study is imperative because few treatment options exist for the condition in adults with autism, who are at a higher risk of having it, said the researchers from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Yet traditional medication does not work as effectively for people with autism, Danforth said.

The MDMA used in the study is safer than Ecstasy and Molly because it is pure, Danforth said. The street drugs are usually contaminated, with only 20% of Ecstasy pills even containing MDMA in some samples, and can be harmful, she said.

The pure form has rarely had serious adverse effects in lab studies, Danforth said.

The pilot study, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, began more than a year ago but went viral over Memorial Day weekend thanks to a Reddit post, Danforth said.

To find participants, researchers screened people with autism for "rigorous criteria," including two years of college, to find 12 subjects over the age of 21. They're still recruiting.